


How the Horror got his name

by theghostseer



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV), tua
Genre: Body Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-19 09:03:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22575262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theghostseer/pseuds/theghostseer
Kudos: 23





	How the Horror got his name

The idea of having code names had never really occurred them, considering they barely had real names, to begin with.

When 0.02 entered the room that day, declaring it was Diego from now on the Monocle simply laughed without even bothering to take his eyes from the newspaper. Something that made 0.06 think, even to this day, that their father was more likely laughing with the news rather with Diego’s small rebellion.

Vanya followed, then Allison, then Klaus then him. Luther was the last to adopt a name. 0.05 wasn’t there. It had been a month since he had jumped and disappeared. So, they got their names, and soon afterward Luther went to space.

The entire world would cheer. The first boy in space was big news and since 0.01 was not very... well catchy, journalists would go with Spaceboy. Ben hadn’t even get used to their new names, and now he had to come up with a superhero alias. Too much change, too much pressure. For a twelve-years-old at least.

Allison came up with Rumour pretty easily. It was her catchphrase after all. Diego got his by the press as well. Something about a mission, when he got out of the river two hours later covered with dirt and blood the journalists run to interview him. Diego threatened to drown them all. Hence the Kraken. Klaus treated it as a joke. Besides seance has a nice ring to it.

But for Ben? Unfortunately for Ben, he lacked both creativity on the subject and media coverage. As the Monocle used to say, there is no reason to upset your audience. And he wasn’t wrong.

Even Klaus’s powers being morbid and all, had a certain appeal that got the audience to like him. Ben’s powers were, as Reginald had noted, nauseous.

It was his flesh being torn apart again and again, while eldritch terrors were taking over his body and mind. It was the stains of blood on his carpet and the taste of puke as he tried not to get himself choked.

It was his mother taking care of his infected with pus wounds and the smell of rot and decay those grotesque creatures left behind. And if he dared to complain to the Monocle about the pain, he would be told to try harder.

Many nights Ben would wake up screaming, as invisible tentacles were grabbing his throat. Or hoards of rats ran under his skin, chewing the bones and nerves. But it wasn’t his suffering that made Ben choose his name.

What scared Ben Hargreeves the most was the realisation that he was getting used to it. Used to the pain, and blood, and the sense of losing his sanity before the view of other dimensions open wide before his eyes. He was getting used to it, and he came to like it.

And by liking it, without knowing it, he sacrificed parts of his soul. What horrified him the most was his human parts dying.

* * *

“Horror,” he would say to the journalists, “my name is the Horror.”

“Because you scare the shit out of the bad guys?”

“Yea,” he would say smiling, “yes, but also because it sounds cool.”


End file.
